People have their opinions whenever the annual Hockey Hall of Fame class is announced. There are annual favorites who get overlooked (Fred Shero and Pat Burns come to mind), as well as personal heroes that fans would love to see in the hall. No one’s ever 100% happy about the end result, but this year I generally noticed a lot less angst than usual regarding the class. Pavel Bure, Adam Oates, Mats Sundin, and Joe Sakic will all be entering the Hall in November.

That narrative didn’t work out the way many assumed it would. People placed (and always will place) a huge amount of emphasis on winning the Stanley Cup, but anyone will tell you that winning the Cup is a team effort. One person by themselves can make some difference, but winning it takes everyone. How fair is it to ignore a player for not being part of a team that made it all of the way? How responsible for not winning a Cup is, say, Jeremy Roenick? It doesn’t detract from their personal skills at all. Too much emphasis is placed on something that one person doesn’t have control over, and this year was a pleasant break from the usual “must have Cup” mindset.

Did it cause bad blood? Sure, but so did other things in Shanahan’s career. Bad blood can happen with any player, regardless of skill. But to think that a love affair that happened in 1994 and that resulted in a 14 year marriage and three children is somehow responsible for Shanahan’s not being a first-ballot hall of famer is absurd. Sure, personal lives might factor in, though they shouldn’t, but there’s not always going to be a controversy when folks aren’t chosen. Sometimes that just don’t get in the first time.

About Laura Astorian

Laura Astorian is the head editor for the SB Nation blog St. Louis Game Time and has been a Blues fan from childhood. She promises that any anti-Blackhawks bias will be left at the door. Maybe.